By Brianna Parks, Guest Blogger and Photographer
Washington’s national parks are some of the most underrated in the elopement photography space.
In fact, not many of my couples have heard about the famous parks like Olympic or North Cascades until they run across an article on my site. However, once they discover these hidden gems, they’re hooked!
I’ve been a wedding photographer for around 3 years and recently dove into the outdoor elopement space about a year ago, hoping to capture more epic elopements in our national parks. At the time, I was shocked at the number of couples who didn’t realize national park weddings could be a thing, which is why I’m breaking down all you and other photographers need to know about how to get married in a national park.
For example, one of my favorites occurred in Olympic National Park during late summer with a couple named Adriana and Carter. They found me through my website and needed assistance planning their national park wedding. After securing our permits and going over the seven principles of Leave No Trace, we headed up to Hurricane Ridge for a sunset vow reading.
To our surprise, there was hardly anyone there, which is quite rare during a warm summer night. The sunset was unreal. It illuminated everything around us and turned the sky into a cotton-candy pink, which only accentuated the deep blues of the mountains behind them. As we were leaving, a herd of deer came around the corner and began grazing on the grass, just a few feet in front of us. And while it was too dark to photograph that beautiful moment, it was something Adriana and Carter (as well as I) will never forget!
Brianna is a California elopement photographer from Northern California who loves everything and all things elopements. She is passionate about helping her couples create intentional and intimate wedding days they’ll never forget. For more information, visit Brianna Parks Photography.